One Week Matchmakers
by Krys Yuy
Summary: [Derek x Casey] Post Summer School Blues. Casey and Derek team up for one more week of summer camp. With six little scheming matchmakers only causing more trouble, how are they ever going to find time to see how they really feel about each other?
1. Friday: Operation Matchmaker

**One Week Matchmakers**  
Author: Krys Yuy  
Summary: Post-_Summer School Blues_. Casey and Derek team up for one more week of summer camp. With six little scheming matchmakers only causing more trouble, how are they ever going to find time to see how they really feel about each other?  
Pairing/Characters: Derek Venturi/Casey MacDonald  
Warning: **Spoilers** for latest _Life with Derek_ episodes.  
Rating: K  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used.  
Author's Note: Inspired by the latest LwD episode, "Summer School Blues". Pure Dasey, folks. Be sure to tune in. For those who haven't seen the episode yet, the quick back story is that "Derek sneaks out of summer school to inject some fun into Casey's dull camp curriculum". And well, it works. This chapter begins at the end of the episode as Derek passes his physics exam. We really only get glimpses of the camp kids, so their personalities are all created from my mind from the hints we get in the episode. Other than that, it's all me, so I take creative freedom when writing them. This story will have at least seven chapters, just fyi. I don't know how often I'll update as I'm studying abroad – so things might be a little shaky in the beginning, but once I get settled down in my dorms over in Japan, it shouldn't be a problem. I have another multi-chapter Dasey fic coming out soon, so be sure to check that out too (see my FFdotNet profile for title)! Happy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 01 – Friday: Operation Matchmaker**

Casey smiled nervously as she tried to think of how to ask him to stay. "Uh, Derek, the kids and I were wondering if, maybe, you wanted… to stay in summer camp?" she requested hopefully, clasping her hands together and looking up at him.

Derek tilted his head as if he were thinking about it, blowing out a breath of air.

"One more week! One more week! One more week!" the camp kids cried, jumping up and down in excitement. "One more week! One more week!"

The smile he was holding in escaped as he answered, "Ah, I guess I could do something." His tone was reluctant but his grin gave him away as he picked Marti up in his arms and stood in the center as the kids cheered around him. He shrugged sheepishly at Casey, who was clapping. "What can I say? Kids dig me!"

Marti hugged him tighter, overjoyed that her big brother had decided to stay. "Best summer ever!" she exclaimed, and her friends shouted in agreement.

Casey smiled fondly at the picture of Derek holding his little sister while surrounded by happy children. Derek noticed her smile and grinned at her, winking, and her heart warmed unexpectedly. She attributed it to the fact that this was one of the rare times she saw Derek less like his jerk self, and more like the good guy she knew was there… somewhere.

Unbeknownst to either teenager, Marti looked between the two of them, grinning as an absolutely fabulous idea formed in her head.

–

"All right, the Alpha Force headquarters have been invaded by extremely strong aliens. So strong that only the captain –" Derek pointed to himself and then at Casey. "– and the lieutenant can fight them off. You've been ordered to hide out until either I or Lieutenant MacDonald find you, so you'll know it's safe."

"You have five minutes before the ship hull is breached," Casey interjected, surprising Derek. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and grinned. "So be sure to find a good hiding place, and remember to bring your ammo –" She held up a few paper balls. "– with you."

"Oh, and the aliens have the power to shape-shift." Derek bit back a grin as the children gasped. "So you have to be careful when you see us approach because it might be an enemy in disguise," he said ominously. The kids started whispering to each other excitedly. "Remember to ask for the secret password as a form of authentic identification, so you'll know it's us."

A hand shot up and Derek pointed at him. "What's the password?" Jack, a boy with brown hair, asked curiously.

"I'm so glad you asked that. It's –" He winked at Casey. "'King Derek'."

Casey rolled her eyes. _Figures._

"Smerek! That's the lamest password ever!" Marti exclaimed, crossing her arms and glaring at him. She nudged the blonde girl next to her, who was wearing a colorful baseball cap backwards. "Right, Brooke?"

"I don't know," the pigtailed girl replied shyly, looking up at Derek with starry eyes. "I think it's cool."

"I agree with Marti – lame!" shouted Carlos, an African-American boy with dreadlocks. He was the tallest boy in Casey's day camp group, though Nathan was a close match.

"Yeah Captain. Couldn't you come up with something else?" the Asian boy asked with a disappointed sigh. He turned to his younger brother. "What do you think, Nick?"

For once, the brothers didn't have a difference in opinion. "The lieutenant needs to come up with a new password!" he declared, pointing at Casey.

A chorus of agreements came from all the children then, even from Brooke, though in reluctance as she looked at Derek shyly. Casey had to hide a smile behind a cough as Derek pretended to pout.

"What's this? A mutiny?" Derek asked, frowning. His stern look wavered as they just nodded in response. "What insubordination!"

The kids only gave him puzzled looks then and he sighed. "All right, forget that. What do you want the password to be?"

Casey was surprised when he turned to give her a pointed look, crossing his arms expectantly. "You want me to pick?"

Derek made a grand sweeping gesture towards the kids, who were now staring at her. "The Alpha Force has spoken," he stated solemnly.

"Umm… well then." Casey's hands wrung nervously behind her back. She didn't want to disappoint them by giving another boring password. "How about…" She thought of what Derek had said during the Ultimate Space Obstacle Challenge. "… 'lightspeed matrix'?" She held her breath.

After a pause, the kids all started talking animatedly amongst themselves with bright grins. She exhaled slowly, relief coloring her features.

"How's that better than 'King Derek'?" her counseling partner said with a huff, shaking his head.

Casey patted his shoulder in mock sympathy. "Let it go, Captain Venturi." She gestured to their charges, who were practically bouncing on the balls of their feet. "Your troop awaits your orders."

Derek coughed, trying to regain a bit of his lost pride as he straightened his back. "Let's see… everyone line up!"

They immediately stopped whispering and scrambled to stand side by side.

"Does anyone need to be re-briefed on the mission statement?" he asked, walking back and forth from one end of the line to the other. He looked down at each of them as if he was inspecting their 'uniforms'. They shook their heads and he nodded. "And what's the…" He sighed as if it was terribly difficult for him to say what he was about to say. "… password?"

"Lightspeed matrix!" they all chimed enthusiastically.

Casey moved next to him, smiling at the kids, as she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "You just wanted to hear them call you 'king', didn't you?"

He shrugged. "It's just as good, if not better, then 'captain'," he replied nonchalantly.

Casey gave him an exasperated smile before clapping her hands once to get the kids' attention. Breaking character, she kneeled and looked at them from their eye-level. "Remember that you can only hide inside the high school. Outside is off-limits," she instructed firmly. "We'll have an hour to find you, and if we haven't found everybody by then, we'll sound the school bell so you guys know to come back. All right?"

They nodded obediently, but didn't say anything.

"Did you hear her, star troopers?" Derek barked in an authoritative tone, making the kids jump.

They straightened their backs as best they could. "Aye, aye, captain!"

"We're in space, not on a pirate ship, but good," he replied, nodding, a twinkle in his eye. He checked his watch and lifted his hand in the air. "The aliens are currently breaching the ship hull, and you've been ordered to hide in five…"

The kids tensed and their eyes darted all around as they tried to figure out where they wanted to hide. Casey found it difficult not to laugh aloud, knowing it was hard for them not to fidget so much, but they wanted to please their captain.

"Four... three... two…"

They all poised on the tips of their feet, ready to bolt when he said the word.

"One!" Derek brought his hand down swiftly. "Go, go, go!"

They each shot off like rockets, turning and running for the exit as they scrambled to find a good hiding spot. Marti skidded to a stop near the door and memorized each direction that her friends had gone off to. She turned to find Derek and Casey watching her curiously.

"No peeking!" she said in mock indignation, making a 'turn around' motion with her index finger.

"Sorry," Casey said sheepishly. Derek only shrugged, but both teenagers turned to face the back of the room as ordered.

Marti pursed her lips and stared at them hard, making sure they wouldn't turn around. Then she ran into the hallway and towards the stairs, deciding that she would talk to Nick and Nathan first. Get two birds with one stone. Whatever that meant.

Derek and Casey turned back around as they heard Marti's footsteps leave the room. They exchanged a puzzled look.

"What was that about?" Casey wondered, crossing her arms.

Derek shrugged again, clearly labeling it as typical Marti behavior. "I don't know, but we have five minutes to kill before we look for them." His eyes suddenly gleamed mischievously as he turned to her with an arched eyebrow. "I bet I can beat your time in the Alpha Force Course." He gestured to the obstacle course they hadn't yet taken down.

"Please, Derek." She rolled her eyes. "The kids aren't here, so there's no way I'm doing it again. It's not my thing."

"Well, you looked like you were having plenty of fun yesterday," Derek retorted with a knowing grin. "Or are you afraid I'm that much better than you?"

Casey froze and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's _on_." She uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips. "Terms?"

"Whoever gets the fastest time wins. Loser has to do the winner's chores for a week," he said, smirking.

She bit her lip, thinking about it before nodding. "Deal." She stuck out her hand and Derek shook it in amusement.

He made a sweeping motion with his hand toward the starting line. "Ladies first."

–

Nick and Nathan were fighting over who was going to hide in the janitor's closet when Marti came running up to them excitedly. Nathan pushed away his little brother and stood in front of the door defiantly. "Marti! You should find another hiding place," he said. "This one's taken."

"I'm not here to take your hiding spot," she retorted. "I have another idea I want to talk to you guys about!"

"What is it?" Nick asked curiously, ignoring the warning glares his brother was sending him.

"It's great! I just want to talk to everyone at the same time though." She looked at them expectantly. "Can you help me find them?"

"Are you crazy? No way!" Nathan exclaimed at the same time his brother chirped, "Sure!"

Marti chose to ignore Nick's older brother. "Thanks guys! I'll find Brooke. You guys can find Carlos and Jack. We can meet in that super huge library we passed by in the hallway."

"Okay!" Nick agreed, dragging his brother in the opposite direction. All Nathan could do was scowl.

Marti shrugged before remembering that Brooke had headed in the direction of the bathrooms. She took off, determined to get her friends' cooperation if that meant her family could be happier.

–

Awhile later, the entire Alpha Force could be found hiding under a conference table in the library, their heads bent together to discuss Marti's idea. They had somehow managed to evade detection by Casey and Derek, and they were making sure to keep their voices down to low whispers. One: so they wouldn't be heard. Two: well, they were in a library after all.

"So what's the deal with all this, Marti?" Carlos asked, scratching his head. "I had such a perfect hiding spot!"

"You were in the garbage can!" Nick exclaimed, and everyone shushed him. "Well, he was," he muttered.

The others scrunched up their noses in disgust and gave Carlos wary looks.

"It was empty," he said in his defense. "Well, there were banana peels, but –"

"Forget that – I want to know why we were all dragged here in the first place," Nathan stated. He sat Indian-style on the ground, like the others, but he propped his elbow up so he could lean against the palm of his hand. "This better be good."

Marti looked at each of her camp friends seriously. "It has to do with the captain and lieutenant…"

"Something's wrong with Captain Venturi?" Brooke cried in dismay, placing her hands on her baseball cap.

"No, nothing's wrong with Smerek," Marti said in exasperation. "Just listen." Her eyes darted around, making sure that the coast was clear, and leaned forward. Her friends followed suit so they could hear her better. "I want to match-make them!"

"What!"

"Girl cooties!" Carlos shuddered and inched back a little, even though Brooke and Marti were across from.

"That's why you brought us all here? For some lovey-dovey gooey reason?" Nathan asked, rolling his eyes. "_Lame_."

"Come on, guys! This could be a secret mission!" Marti whispered enthusiastically, not letting her friends' hesitancy deter her. "All of us could be in on it, and we can't tell them or it's a mission failure. And the Alpha Force doesn't fail, right?"

"I guess…" Carlos replied hesitantly. He had scooted closer again once the thought of girl cooties faded.

Nick had an intense look of concentration on his face before he nodded. "I think it'll be kinda fun," he piped up. "We'll have to be all invisible and stuff, and make sure they don't know what we're up to. We can see if we can fool our commanders!"

Nathan's eyes gleamed at the thought of a challenge. "Well, if you put it that way… I have always wanted to test out my spy skills ever since I saw that one movie."

Brooke raised her hand and Marti pointed at her. "How… how do you know they even want to be together?" she asked. "'Cause they didn't seem to get along very well in the beginning…"

"They just don't know it yet!" Marti answered with such confidence that the others were nearly convinced. She noticed their indecision and tilted her head to the side. "Don't you want to make the captain and lieutenant happy?"

"They are pretty cool," Nathan said with a shrug, "but they already seem happy."

"Trust me," Marti replied, a secret smile playing on her lips. "They'll be a lot happier together."

"I agree with whatever Marti wants to do!" Jack said, sending her a nervous grin.

Marti grinned back, though she was a bit mystified when he turned red. "So… is everyone in?" she asked. She placed her hand in the middle of their somewhat sloppy circle and looked at each of them expectantly, expression bright and hopeful.

Jack immediately placed his hand on top of hers, though he wouldn't really look her in the eye. Brooke sighed, adjusted her cap, and put her hand in. Carlos was about to put his hand in when he noticed it was Brooke's right below his. He snatched his hand back and only added it to the group's after Nick added his. Soon, everyone had turned their heads to stare at Nathan.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm in." He waved his hand dismissively, but kept his arms stubbornly crossed.

"Nathan," Nick hissed at his brother. "Come on!"

He sighed and slowly added his hand to the group's pile. Marti smiled brightly at each of them and they returned it, her sincere enthusiasm trickling into them. They did a small little group cheer before drawing their hands back.

"So, how is this going to work?" Nathan asked out of pure curiosity.

Marti immediately answered and it was clear that she had been thinking about the same thing. "We don't really have enough time right now. We all just have to come up with some plans this weekend, and talk about it on Monday." They all nodded in agreement and Marti grinned, clapping her hands. "Operation Matchmaker is a go!" she declared, but kept her voice low.

"I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in the Alpha Force."

The kids all jumped, startled, and let out groans of pain when their heads hit the table. They turned to see two pairs of legs and grimaced. They crawled out from under their hiding spot, pushing back chairs, and looked up at Derek, who was watching them with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. Casey, on the other hand, only seemed amused as the children glanced at each other guiltily.

"You're all hiding in the same spot! How are the aliens _not_ going to find you?" Derek shook his head with a sigh. "What were you doing anyway?"

They all looked at each other before Nathan pointed at the two teenagers. "Shape-shifters! Get 'em!!" he exclaimed.

Casey and Derek brought their hands up defensively as a shower of paper balls came straight at them. "Hey you guys!" Casey yelled, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"King Derek! King Derek!" Derek said before he scratched his head. "Wait – why does that not sound right?"

Casey nudged him in the ribs. "Lightspeed matrix!"

The paper balls immediately stopped and the Alpha Force had magically lined up in a neat row, awaiting orders.

"Well then." Derek straightened and brushed off imaginary dirt from his jeans. "Aside from you all being in the same place, I'd say it was a rather successful hide-out mission." He nodded. "The hour is almost up and we looked everywhere for you. Very good stealth skills, boys."

Marti and Casey cleared their throats at the same time.

"… and girls, of course," he added with a wink for his little sister. He clapped his hands together once. "Now – who wants to race back to headquarters?"

Everyone's hands shot up and before Casey could say something about safety, Derek blew his whistle. Or rather, the whistle he had stolen from her. The kids darted around them and ran for the library exit. Casey gave Derek an exasperated look as he jogged backwards, giving her a little wave.

He grinned as he turned back around to follow them. "The Alpha Force sure is energetic today, aren't they?"

–

Later on, after all the kids were picked up by their parents, Casey and Derek walked home with Marti in-between them. She held their hands and every so often, they would lift her off the ground and swing her before putting her back down. Her giggles brought a smile to both their faces. They were almost home when a thought occurred to Derek.

"Hey Smarti, what were you whispering about with the rest of the Alpha Force when you were under that table?"

Marti was quick to answer. "Just kid stuff, Smerek." She shrugged and skipped ahead of them, letting go of their hands.

Derek eyed his sister speculatively. "Those kids are planning something," he finally said, nodding firmly.

Casey scoffed. "You're paranoid."

"No, I'm a cautious, all-knowing older brother." He adjusted the straps of his backpack and narrowed his eyes. "I know my little sister. And she's up to no good."

Casey laughed. "Out of everybody, I thought you'd be the last one to think of Marti doing anything remotely bad."

"Hey, I adore her but I know what she's capable of." He sent her his patented smirk. "Besides, she has Venturi blood, doesn't she?"

* * *

To be continued in _Chapter 02 – Weekend: The Recruits_  
Well, here's my inspiration from Summer School Blues! Please review because that lets me know people are actually reading this and liking it. It gives me encouragement to continue. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Saturday: The Recruits

**One Week Matchmakers**  
Author: Krys Yuy  
Summary: Post-_Summer School Blues_. Marti is caught during her spy time on Casey and Derek (not that she was hiding that well). But perhaps after some explanations, there'll be some new recruits to the Alpha Force?  
Pairing/Characters: Derek Venturi/Casey MacDonald  
Warning: **Spoilers** for latest _Life with Derek_ episodes.  
Rating: K  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used.  
Author's Notes: You guys are in luck because this chapter came out much longer than I first anticipated. I even had to make this a 'Saturday' chapter instead of just 'Weekend' because I had too many ideas. Hopefully, this will tide you over for a bit because I'm leaving soon for Japan, and I have to study for my entrance exam, so I won't be able to post another chapter until I get settled. I'll be writing though and hopefully I'll have something for you once I set up my laptop and Internet at my dorms. "One Week Matchmakers" has an outline and is pretty much mapped out until the end aside from specific events I still need to flesh out. "Accidentally Yours" is not so lucky, so I'll be doing a lot of thinking for that story as well.  
Also, thank you for all the reviews! They mean a lot to me and definitely encouraged me to finish this chapter. Just Lilo brought up a good point, though – I basically let all the kids have free reign of the high school for an hour to hide wherever they wanted. XD Not smart of Casey and Derek, yeah? Well, I suppose that was me trying to extend the playing area outside of that one room. Heh. Won't happen again – well, as you'll see, the kids won't be left alone like that again. At least, not intentionally. XP Oh, and here's another point I want to make about ages. Lizzie and Edwin both turned thirteen, I believe, in "It's Our Party" and if we go by the original, intended episode order, not the air dates, Derek is now sixteen (from "Sixteen Sparkplugs") and Casey will be sixteen in "Not So Sweet 16". "SS" and "NSS16" have not aired yet, but "SS" was supposed to have happened before "Summer School Blues" and "NSS16" is suppose to happen afterwards. It seems like Marti doesn't get her own birthday episode, but I'd like to think she's now seven just because of how much older Ariel Waller now looks as well. The kids in the day camp also look to be seven or eight too. So my advice is to just go with it. Anyways, happy reading!

* * *

**Chapter 02 – Saturday: The Recruits**

Saturday was a particularly lazy day for the Venturi-MacDonald family. Everyone slept in later than usual before waking up to a brunch consisting of cereal and/or ham and cheese sandwiches. After a quick round of 'hi's and 'goodbye's, George and Nora had informed their children of last minute business dealings that needed their attention before escaping out the back door. The siblings and stepsiblings somehow came to a silent agreement to stay in that day, each for a variety of personal reasons, and were left to his or her own devices.

Lizzie and Edwin had disappeared upstairs, while their respective older siblings had decided to remain in the living room. Derek was absorbed in a women's beach volleyball game, and for once, Casey had nothing to say to him about his preferred choice in channel surfing. She was too busy trying to plan activities for the last week of summer day camp, muttering to herself, and every so often writing down ideas on her notepad, only to cross them off. She sat on the edge of the couch farthest from Derek's chair, her feet propped up on the cushions.

"Charades?" she wondered aloud, tapping the pen against her chin.

Derek scoffed, looking away from the TV to her in disbelief. "Charades? I'm sure they'd enjoy Pictionary next," he added sarcastically, shaking his head. "Being uncool just comes naturally to you, doesn't it?"

"Ha ha." Casey stuck out her tongue instead of taking the bait. "Well I think the kids will enjoy it."

"Just like they enjoyed your other ideas?"

She considered what he said, frowned, and crossed off yet another item. She hated when Derek was right. "Then why don't you help me, captain, instead of watching _that_." She gave the channel a disgusted look.

"You don't appreciate the beauty of sports."

She threw a crumpled piece of notebook paper at him. "You're watching it for the bathing suits and the 'hot babes' sweating in the sun."

"I can't deny that upside," he admitted easily.

"Pig," she muttered, deciding she was better off ignoring him. This was why she rarely asked for his help.

A few minutes passed, and Casey didn't bother looking up when she felt the couch dip, but she did when she felt him push at her feet. He was sitting with his back to the other end of the couch, mirroring her position with his legs on the cushion and knees bent up. The tips of his sneakers met hers in the middle of the couch.

He looked at her expectantly and she snapped, not entirely sure what she was annoyed about. "What?"

"Treasure hunt," he said with a kind of half-smile.

She almost forgot she was annoyed with him when she began to consider his idea. "A treasure hunt…" The possibilities ran through her mind.

Derek continued on, encouraged by the teeny smile that was growing on her face. "The kids can find special moon rocks or parts of the space ship that got lost when we were attacked by the aliens."

Casey looked at him in disguised amazement. "How do you come up with this stuff?"

"You should know, Case." He shrugged and winked. "I'm a kid at heart."

Derek had used that nickname before, so Casey wondered why it suddenly sounded so pleasant to her ears. Her body also felt rather warm. She blinked and shook it off. Derek was just sitting close and she was wearing a sleeved shirt. That was it. She tried to distract herself by poking his shin with her shoe.

"So that's why this comes so easily to you," she commented. She decided to try to get more out of him before he chose to go back to his game, unaware that Derek was perfectly content with staying where he was. "Any other brilliant ideas, captain?"

"Hmm…" Derek looked around and spotted one of his water guns poking out from underneath the other living room chair. "War strategy."

"Elaborate."

He started gesturing with his hands, pretending to fire a water gun and she had to hide a grin. "We get the kids water guns and split into two teams. Maybe a sort of capture the flag scenario."

"The kids will love that!" By now, her annoyance from earlier had completely faded away, so focused was she on Derek's ideas. "You surprise me, Derek," she said with a kind smile.

"… yeah?"

She was dumbfounded at the genuine tone in the question, but when she looked up at him, there was the infamous smirk she had come to know well. However, it didn't stop her from answering. "Yeah, you really do," she replied honestly.

At her response, his smirk transformed into a genuine smile, unable to hide how pleased he was. The warm feeling from before came rushing back, and Casey thought he wasn't even aware he was doing it. There was something about it; as if his smiles were different from the rare ones he had given her during the times she had helped him out in the past. She decided inwardly she rather liked the change, but there was no way she was ever going to admit it aloud. Sure, she and Derek were getting along now, almost surprisingly well. But things were bound to go back to the way they were before. That thought instantly cooled the warmth stirring inside her, but Derek pulled her back to reality before she could dwell on it.

"So what else you got?" he asked.

She was temporarily confused, but then realized he was talking about her list of activities. She glanced at the items quickly – the ones she hadn't already crossed off – and bit her lip. "Painting," she answered. Before he could open his mouth, Casey lifted a hand. "Hold on. I'm talking about hands-on painting, not like before. We'll go outside by the baseball and soccer fields. They can draw aliens or the insides of Command Central – y'know, to go with the space theme you came up with." She winked and was surprised when Derek looked away… almost bashful? She tilted her head, puzzled, but continued with her idea. "Since we'll be outside, they can go crazy with the colors. They can use brushes or their hands if they want. But I'll have to make sure they wear aprons or change shirts, maybe –"

Derek cut her off before she could ramble further. "Okay, sounds good. Looks like you can be fun, Lieutenant." He tried not to think about how enjoyable it had been to be with her during the Alpha Force Course and hide-and-seek. "I didn't know you had it in you," he joked.

_Sometimes you surprise me too,_ he really wanted to say, but the courage that usually came so effortlessly to him wasn't there. The words wouldn't come. He was distracted from even attempting to think about what that could mean when Casey's voice penetrated the fog of his thoughts.

"I was also considering baking in the Home Econ. class," she suggested thoughtfully, looking at him for his approval.

The thought of cooking made him want to sleep. "No way – they're there to run around and be wild, not take lessons," he replied. He propped one elbow on a couch pillow and leaned his head against his hand.

"It'll be fun! They'll be baking 'moon rocks'," she retorted, pouting when the bored look didn't leave Derek's face. "The kids can mix the ingredients and they can decorate the cookies any way they want. Or, if they don't want to make cookies, we can make brownies or cakes." An idea flashed in her head. "Or we could make a gingerbread house! But not really a house – oh, they could make a spaceship!"

She was slightly gratified at the interest appearing in Derek's eyes, but he still hadn't given her a response. She remembered before when her mom had the time to bake Christmas cookies. She and Lizzie used to love… "What if I let you lick the spoon, maybe even the bowl?"

Derek instantly perked up and Casey tried to stop her giggles at the excitement on his face. "Now you're talking!" he exclaimed, not the least bit embarrassed acting like a little kid.

"Now there's just one more day to plan for…" she stated, tapping her pen again.

Derek unknowingly mirrored her, drumming his fingers along the back of the couch as he also thought about it. After a few minutes of silence, he suggested, "Well, we could always do Captain Venturi's Ultimate Space Obstacle Challenge – version two!"

"I like calling it the Alpha Force Course – it's shorter," she replied with a chuckle. "But I think you have something there."

"Yeah, just think about it. We could revamp the course or maybe even move it to the gym for more space." Derek was already mapping a layout of the new course in his head.

"I don't think we need to move to the gym," she protested.

"If we want to add a maze, we do."

"A maze?" she echoed, eyes widening. He looked at her expectantly and she smiled after a moment, nodding her agreement.

"Sweet!" He pumped a fist into the air and found he rather liked the sound of her laugh. He wondered why it used to grate on his nerves.

"Now we have activities for the entire week, plus the usual stuff we do with the other camp groups in the morning." She did a little dance, shaking her butt on the couch and moving her arms. "Yay!" Derek was staring at her in amusement and she gave him a half-smile. "So when should we get working on the props for the treasure hunt? Later tonight? Tomorrow?"

"Ah, no, no," he replied without thinking. "I come up with the 'brilliant' ideas and you do the manual labor. That's the way it works, Lieutenant."

Casey's face fell in disappointment, which she quickly covered up, but it wasn't so fast that Derek didn't catch it. He was almost shocked by the sudden surge of guilt and had to bury the urge to take back his words.

"Why am I not surprised?" she added, maybe even a little bitterly.

But she really shouldn't have been surprised – it was a typical Derek move. She had been getting a little too comfortable with how well their conversation had been going. She was – dare she think it? – even enjoying it. It was stupid of her to believe that they would work together on the props. What was worse was that she could have liked it. She guessed the space tunnel he had made for the obstacle course hadn't taken more than five minutes, and arranging the entire course around the room perhaps twenty-five minutes, tops. Why would he want to spend an entire night cutting and drawing out moon rocks and space parts? It was her own fault for anticipating more. She shouldn't have expected him to want the same things as her.

"That's fine, I can do it myself," she replied, and she was actually truly okay with it. Her fingers were wrapped rather tightly around her pen though. "I like doing this kind of stuff."

Derek eyed her warily. "You're not mad?"

"Not at all," she replied simply. She smiled at him in reassurance.

Derek, however, thought it was the fakest smile he had ever seen on her. But he didn't say anything.

"You'd only slow me down anyway," she added with a shrug.

His eyes gleamed at the opening she gave him. "If you want to talk about slow…" Her eyes dawned with realization and she flushed, whether from embarrassment or anger, he didn't know. "… how are my chores coming along?"

"I'm doing your dish duty tonight, and I'll be doing your laundry tomorrow," she answered, rolling her eyes. After a pause, she exclaimed, "But I wasn't that much slower, y'know!"

"Please Case, a turtle would have gone faster than you," he replied. "Where was all the energy from the day before? I guess you need me cheering you on, don't you?"

Casey blushed again, and Derek thought it was from embarrassment. "You're exaggerating. I was just caught at the beginning crawling under those sticks or whatever it was." She waved a hand in the air. "I could totally do it better next time."

"Next time, eh?" He raised an eyebrow when she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Care to wager again for Alpha Force Course Version Two?"

"… maybe."

Derek laughed and the corners of Casey's lips twitched, before she involuntarily smiled as well, pulled in by his own chuckles.

Neither teenager noticed the curious pair of young eyes watching them, so out-of-character for being able to sit still for more than two minutes. Their entire exchange had been witnessed by her, and she was not so young as to think it was a simple conversation. There had been something there – the same thing she had seen in them the day before after Derek had agreed to stay for the rest of camp.

Being a seven-year old didn't mean that Marti wasn't observant in certain things, especially when it had anything to do with her beloved older brother Derek. If that was the case, it was a guarantee that she paid attention. He and Casey had only been working together for a couple of days, and already, summer camp had been more fun than Marti could have dreamed. She found things were much better all around when they got along rather than when they fought. Who's to say what would happen if they got along all the time? Casey laughing and having fun also seemed to bring out better reactions from Derek, in complete contrast to their sour or even vindictive moods when they were at each other's throats.

Plus Derek never smiled at other girls the way he smiled at Casey.

That was enough for her.

–

Lizzie passed by Marti on the stairs to grab a glass of water before she headed back up to finish her math homework. She paused on the step above the one Marti was sitting on, and looked down at her stepsister in confusion. Ordinarily, Lizzie wouldn't question her behavior – after all, Marti wasn't exactly known to follow the norm. But this was unusual in the Marti sense. First off, she wasn't doing much of anything. Marti could always be counted on for her boundless energy; flitting here and there to complete some kind of task she had made up for herself. Now, Marti was sitting perfectly still, not moving a muscle. Second, it wasn't because she was staring off into space, something which she had been known to do from time to time when she was lost in the world of her imagination. Rather, it was that Marti was totally focused in staring at Casey and Derek.

Lizzie looked from Marti to them slowly several times, trying to figure out what the big deal was. Casey and Derek were only swapping ideas for summer camp activities; for once, not at each other's throats. Rare, yes. Stare-worthy? Well, Lizzie thought that Marti would have more interesting stuff to do with her time. It was rather funny that neither of the older teenagers had figured out about their little audience, so engrossed in their conversation. It was like there was a bubble around them that nothing could penetrate.

_Huh._ Lizzie knew the atmosphere could get like that when the two were fighting, so it was strange to see it in a situation where they were getting along. Something seemed… different.

She kneeled down carefully. "Marti?" she whispered, so as not to catch Casey's or Derek's attention.

The youngest Venturi didn't respond, only continued to watch, and Lizzie wondered, not for the first time, what could possibly be going through her head.

Lizzie shook her head and continued on her original route. Going into her room, she sipped water from the glass she had taken earlier before placing it down on her desk. She looked at her homework and then back at her closed door, where she imagined she could see the stairwell with Marti sitting, as patient as ever. After a moment, she sighed and went back out to climb the stairs to Edwin's room. She knocked and entered at the slightly distracted "come in".

Edwin looked up from his desk, where he was writing in his research binder. "What's up?" he asked curiously.

"Marti," she replied. At his confused look, she continued, "Marti's acting strange."

"Hate to tell you, but that's not news, Liz," Edwin said before returning to his former task. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

"It's strange in the Marti-sense," Lizzie persisted, walking up to him and crossing her arms.

Edwin continued to write. "What is it now? Is she wearing her clothes inside-out?"

"She's just… staring."

"Staring? Well, let's hope she doesn't burn a hole in the wall."

Lizzie smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Edwin rubbed his head and glared at her. "What was that for?"

"For not listening," she replied easily. "Now that I have your attention, I think we should see what she's up to."

"She's probably just imagining herself with all her animal friends, etcetera etcetera." Edwin waved a hand dismissively.

"She's not staring off into space! She's staring at Casey and Derek."

"What?"

"She's just staring at them, not doing anything. She's staying perfectly _still_."

Edwin stood up immediately. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on." She grabbed his arm and dragged him down onto the landing.

They crept around to the staircase and peeked around the corner to see Marti in the same pose that Lizzie had last seen. She had her chin propped up with both hands as her elbows rested on her knees. She was sitting on the middle steps, close enough to hear Casey and Derek talking, but not so close as to grab their attention. She peered at them through the gaps in the railing.

"Whoa."

Lizzie nudged him with her elbow. "See? I told you," she muttered.

"We definitely have to find out what's going on," Edwin said, his curiosity peaked.

The two stepsiblings quietly made their way down the stairs. Lizzie sat next to Marti while Edwin decided on the step below theirs. He drummed his fingers against his knee before turning to his little sister.

"So Marti, what's… what's up?" he began, looking at her expectantly.

She didn't answer.

Lizzie and Edwin exchanged looks. "Marti," Lizzie tried again. She poked her in the shoulder. "Marti."

"Shh…" She finally responded, putting a finger to her lips, but her gaze hadn't wavered from her targets. "I'm busy."

"What are you doing?" Edwin asked, not willing to give up so easily.

"Spying."

Lizzie turned her head to look at her older sister and stepbrother, still not finding anything out of the ordinary, aside from them sort of getting along. "Why are you spying on Casey and Derek?" she wondered, remembering to keep her voice low.

"I can't tell you."

Lizzie knew there was something fishy going on and she could tell by Edwin's furrowed brows that he was thinking the same thing. "Look Marti, whatever you're doing… planning… if you tell us, maybe we can help you," she said quietly.

Marti visibly perked up at this and for the first time, turned around to look at her brother and stepsister in consideration. "Well… I guess I can let you in on it," she said, and looked at them sternly – well, as stern as a seven-year old could look, "but you have to pinky swear you won't tell anyone else."

Before either of them could reply, Casey's voice made them scramble to their feet. "What are you guys doing over there?"

All three of them looked down from the stairs to find both Casey and Derek looking back up at them from the couch. Derek had to twist his body slightly to turn around, and his eyes were narrowed in suspicion in contrast to Casey's genuinely questioning face.

"Yeah Smarti, what are you doing?" he asked.

Edwin noted mentally that Derek had singled out Marti from him and Lizzie. _And the mystery deepens…_ he thought.

"I was just inviting Lizzie and Edwin to play dolls with me in my room!" she answered without hesitation, grabbing one hand from each of them. She started pulling them up the stairs and they followed without a struggle.

Lizzie glanced over her shoulder to see Casey giving their retreating backs a shrug, but Derek seemed deep in thought until Casey nudged him with her foot. He turned around and Lizzie couldn't see or hear what he said next, but she was surprised when it brought out a genuine bout of laughter from her sister. Not that Derek had never made Casey laugh before. But something had changed in the manner Casey treated him.

Before Lizzie could question it further, she and Edwin had already been pulled into Marti's room. They stood patiently by her bed as she locked her door securely; going so far as to stack a bunch of her stuffed animals against it for extra protection.

"Okay Marti –" Edwin crossed his arms. "– what is going _on_?"

"My friends and I have a secret mission to complete before summer camp is over," she said simply, walking over to her bed and plopping down on the covers.

"And it involves Derek and Casey," Lizzie said, sitting down next to Marti on the bed. "Is it because they're your camp counselors? Are you going to prank them?"

"No!" Marti exclaimed, shaking her head. "Pinky swear?"

Edwin and Lizzie looked at each other, and then back at Marti. "Pinky swear."

They each did the ritual with her, and afterwards, she smiled innocently as she declared, "We're going to bring them together!"

Edwin gave her a blank look as Lizzie's face dawned with realization. "What's that now?" Edwin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They want to match-make them," Lizzie translated with a thoughtful look on her face.

Edwin's eyes widened considerably. "You _what_?!" Both girls shushed him, and he lowered his voice. "What!"

Marti gave him an exasperated look. "I want to bring Smerek –" She brought up one hand. "– and Casey –" She brought up the other. "– together." She clasped her hands with a smile.

Edwin tried to wrap his mind around the ridiculous concept. "And what gave you this brilliant idea?" he asked.

Marti didn't notice or chose to ignore the sarcastic edge to her brother's voice. "Summer camp did!" she chirped, raising a hand. "They get along really well when they work together, and when Casey did the Alpha Force Course, Smerek was cheering her on and she was having such a great time!" She took a deep breath and continued. "Also, when I asked Casey if she would help me help Smerek with his test, she agreed right away. She's also the one who said the whole Alpha Force should check on him while he finished his test."

"They've worked together before, and it's not as if they hadn't helped each other either," Edwin pointed out, still skeptical and questioning his sister's sanity.

Marti wasn't fazed by his attitude and added, "After Smerek passed his science test, they _smiled_ at each other."

Edwin gestured for her to go on. "And…?"

"Smerek never smiles at anyone else the way he smiles at Casey," Marti stated quietly, though a small half-grin played upon her lips.

Her brother stared at her in disbelief. "You want Derek and Casey to hook up because of the way he _smiles_ at her?" he squawked. "That is the most –"

"– interesting theory I've ever heard," Lizzie interrupted smoothly, pinching Edwin's arm hard to keep him quiet and ignoring his small exclamation of pain. "Why do you think Derek smiles at Casey differently, Marti?"

"Well, he didn't always." The youngest Venturi began petting her monkey stuffed animal as she explained. "Before, he'd never really smile at her. He'd frown, smirk… maybe laugh, but he didn't smile. Then when he started to, it was a friendly type thing, like how I smile at my friends." Marti took her cow stuffed animal that still quacked and placed it next to her monkey. "But Smerek didn't do it often. He was too busy fighting with her."

"They are mortal enemies," Edwin muttered under his breath, and hissed when Lizzie pinched him again in response.

"When he brings other girls to the house, he likes to smirk because that makes him look cooler," Marti continued matter-of-factly. "And when he does smile, it's never like the nice smiles he gives me. It's the non-Smerek kind. Like he's pretending." She frowned. "I don't like it when he does that."

"And he doesn't pretend-smile at Casey?" Lizzie prodded. She ignored Edwin's incredulous look.

"He used to sometimes," Marti answered. "But yesterday, after his test, it was different. More Smerek-like but not really." She hugged her knees to her chest. "Like it was just for Casey." She sighed dreamily. "It was… _warm_. Y'know the way it feels after you drink hot cocoa when there's snow?" Lizzie nodded and Edwin mimicked her after a pause. "It was like that."

"That… doesn't make sense," he remarked. This time he had the foresight to move to the other side of the room before Lizzie could pinch him.

"I don't expect you to understand, Edwin," Marti said with a huff. "'Cause I know Smerek better than you!"

"That's a lie!" Edwin glared at her and waved his arms around. "Just because he coddles you and uses me as his personal slave doesn't mean you know him better. If anything, I know him better because he comes to _me_ for advice!"

"Not on girls," Marti retorted, sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes.

Lizzie held up her hands in a surrender-type of motion. "Come on, you guys," she said in a warning tone, cutting Edwin off before he could snap back at his sister. "I think…" she began slowly, nodding her head. "I agree with Marti."

Her stepsister cheered as Edwin exclaimed, "Are you crazy?"

"No, I think she's onto something," Lizzie replied, crossing her legs on Marti's bed so she was sitting Indian-style. "I was just thinking the same thing about Casey. Something's different. Something's _changed_."

"Does she smile differently?" Edwin commented snidely.

"Maybe- I don't know," Lizzie answered honestly, though her glare showed she didn't appreciate his tone. "I mean, I just noticed it now. But Casey does seem a bit… softer." She sighed, not knowing how to put it into words. "I have to study them more." She looked at Marti thoughtfully. "Is that why you were watching them like that?"

"Yep," Marti answered, swinging her legs by the side of her bed. "I wanted to see if I was right about my guess yesterday." She grinned brightly, flashing a thumbs-up sign. "And I was! Smerek did the hot cocoa-smile again. More than once!"

Edwin tried not to roll his eyes. "You were sitting on the stairs and Derek was on the couch facing the other way. You couldn't have seen him!" He clearly had not accepted the idea that Derek and Casey were a possible match.

"I could see the side of his face," Marti replied defensively, pouting. "And they were talking loud enough so I could hear them, and they were getting along again in that weird way. Plus Casey…" She hesitated. "I think Casey likes him too!"

"Casey has a boyfriend. You know, the football captain – Max," Edwin pointed out, crossing his arms again. "And she's happy with him."

Lizzie sighed, nodding. "He has a point, Marti," she said softly. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, this secret mission sounds like a lot of fun for you and your friends, but… this is a hunch." She laid a hand on her stepsister's shoulder. "What if we're wrong?"

Marti shook her head firmly. "No! I just know they'll be happier when they're together!" She turned around to face the wall instead of her brother and stepsister. "And Max can find another girlfriend. Casey's taken." It sounded rather mean coming from a usually sweet girl, but Lizzie realized Marti was only being protective of Derek.

Edwin seemed to acknowledge how upset he made his little sister, and his expression turned regretful. "Look, I'm sorry Marti," he said sincerely, moving to join the two girls on the bed. "It's just – you know how unbelievable this is, right? I mean, it's so strange to think about them being together –"

"It's not that strange," Lizzie interrupted, and was surprised to find she honestly didn't have a problem with it. "It's surprising, yes. Impossible? No."

"But our parents are married!"

"Exactly. The only relation is by marriage. Casey and I are your stepsiblings, Edwin. We're not related," she stated. Something flashed in her gaze before she looked away. "Casey and Derek are not related."

Edwin sighed, putting his head in his hands. "But it's weird," he protested in a muffled voice.

"You obviously have a problem with all this," Lizzie replied. "Why don't you leave me and Marti in peace? We need to start planning."

"You're going to help her?"

Lizzie nodded an affirmative. "I want to see if there's really something to this theory. Call it a hypothesis if you will."

"And Max?"

"If Casey truly likes Derek, she'll break it off with Max," Lizzie said matter-of-factly. "It seems like Max is a great guy and all, but honestly, he seems a little blah."

"Blah?"

"Blah."

"I gotta say I'm feeling for the poor guy right now," Edwin replied. He put his hands up innocently when Marti turned her head to glare at him. "I mean, we're basically planning on how to get his girlfriend a new boyfriend."

Lizzie gave his shoulder a playful punch. "'We'?" she quoted with a smile.

Edwin nodded with an exaggerated sigh even as he winked. "We," he said firmly. "Besides, you know how I can't help testing a hypothesis. If this makes them happier, so much the better." He pointed at each of them. "But let the record show that I still have to form my opinion on this whole situation, even if I am helping out."

"All right, we get it. You still think there's no foundation for this whole feelings thing," Lizzie replied, shaking her head. "But I think it's safe to say that we're glad to have you on the team." She poked her young stepsister, who had turned back to face away from them. "Right Marti?"

Marti stared at the wall for a few more seconds before she turned around and regarded her brother solemnly. She turned the same serious gaze on Lizzie while folding her hands on her lap primly, clearly a gesture she had learned from Casey. "I guess… the Alpha Force could use some new recruits," she said finally. A small grin broke her façade and she winked. "Secret ones, though!"

"You little faker!" Edwin exclaimed, lunging for his sister and grinning as he began to tickle her sides. "I thought you were still mad at me!" Marti squealed and tried to escape, but Edwin wouldn't let her go, attacking her stomach and sides.

"Li- Lizzie, he- help!" Marti gasped out between giggles, squirming madly on the bed.

Lizzie laughed good-naturedly but decided to have pity on her stepsister. "Okay, you've had your fun." She pulled Edwin off his sister and he let her go easily.

He sat back on the bed and Lizzie settled next to him again as Marti recovered from her tickling fit. There were a few stray giggles as she straightened and crossed her legs. She propped her head on her palms and looked from Lizzie to Edwin curiously. "So… how are you guys going to help the Alpha Force?" she asked.

"First off, Marti, what was _your_ plan?" Edwin replied with a question. "I'm assuming all your summer camp friends know about your mission."

"We didn't get that far," Marti admitted with a shrug. "I told them to think about it and we were going to share ideas on Monday."

Edwin frowned. "That's not enough time for preparation. You only have five days left of day camp! You can't spend the first day swapping ideas." He shook his head. "No, no. You have to do it sooner."

"The only day left is tomorrow," Lizzie pointed out, nodding towards the animal calendar posted above Marti's desk.

A cheery sun with sunglasses and a bright smile had been drawn on the spot for last Monday – the day summer camp had started. There was also a big smiley face on the Wednesday Derek came and led the Alpha Force in throwing paper balls at Casey; it being the day when camp had started to be fun. What stood out the most though was the giant heart enveloping Friday, the initials "O.M." written in red ink.

"O.M.?" Lizzie echoed.

"Operation Matchmaker!" Marti explained with a grin, flashing a victory sign.

Lizzie returned her grin with one of her own and nodded. "Clever."

"Okay, here's what you have to do." Edwin had clearly been deep in thought, trying to think of a strategy. He looked at Marti and made sure she was focused on him. "You have to invite your friends over tomorrow."

"What about Mom and George?" Lizzie asked, shaking her head. "There's no way they're going to want an additional five kids for a day, especially just for a 'play date'. They have their hands full with just us."

"Good insight, MacDonald," he commented, nodding his head. "But I've already taken that into consideration, and we're going to have to promise to watch them for Marti."

"Baby-sit five more kids plus Marti for a day?" Lizzie said aloud incredulously, more to herself than anything.

Edwin put up a hand. "I know how it sounds, but if we want to get these kids together, it's our only option before Monday. I mean, they're the troops going out into the field! They need our guidance or something could go wrong. Since you have soccer camp and I have business camp, we can't just go over to day camp too. We have to handle things from home base." He nodded his head determinedly. "So we just have to put on a brave front and face the music. Besides, it's not for a _whole_ day."

"You're right." Lizzie nodded in agreement even though she was still a bit apprehensive. "We can handle five more kids…"

As if on cue, Edwin and Lizzie turned as one to face Marti who blinked up at them innocently. "So do you want me to call my friends now?" she piped up after a pause.

"We have to get the go ahead from Dad and Nora first," Edwin replied automatically. Inside, he started to feel the first flutters of panic as he imagined seven and eight year olds running around the house freely.

"After that, then you call them," Lizzie told her patiently. She was calm on the outside, but her mind was reflecting some of the same scenarios as Edwin.

The two stepsiblings turned towards each other again and their eyes met as an identical thought rang in their heads.

_What did we just sign up for?_

* * *

To be continued in _Chapter 03 – Sunday: Battle Plans_  
So it looks like the Alpha Force will be back next chapter! Anyone miss them? Lol. And I just couldn't leave out Lizzie and Edwin, so hopefully, they'll have their fair share of scenes as they plot with Marti. Remember, reviews equal encouragement! And it works, guys! It really does! 


	3. Sunday: Battle Plans

**One Week Matchmakers**  
Author: Krys Yuy  
Summary: Post-_Summer School Blues_. Plans begin to form in order to unite Derek and Casey. Outrageous and ridiculous, but plans nonetheless. In the midst of it all are Edwin and Lizzie, who try to make sense of the whole mess.  
Pairing/Characters: Derek Venturi/Casey MacDonald  
Warning:**Spoilers** for latest _Life with Derek_ episodes.  
Rating: K  
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used.  
Author's Notes: I'm extremely sorry for the long wait. I know it isn't much of an excuse and you've heard this before, but school just had to take priority. I am living in another country for a year, so I've had to adjust and whatnot. I hope to update in a timelier manner, but I really can't make any promises. Please read and review so I know there's still interest, and that my lateness hasn't caused anyone to write this story off. Without further adieu, please enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 03 – Sunday: Battle Plans **

The following day Edwin and Lizzie could be found standing by the door to his room, while six younger kids were sprawled on the ground in front of them. Because Marti had asked after dinner if she could have her friends over, Casey and Derek were unaware that their day camp charges were coming over for a visit, having been in their rooms at the time Marti approached their parents. Derek had left to play some hockey scrimmages with his friends at the rink in the park and Casey was expected to spend the entire day at the mall with Emily. Each teenager had left the house before the kids had arrived in the afternoon.

George and Nora were working at the dinner table for presentations they had the coming week. They were close enough to call for any emergencies, but had firmly reminded Edwin and Lizzie that it was their job to entertain the kids. After all, it had only been after Edwin and Lizzie's insistence that they finally caved in to Marti's request. Their agreement to watch the kids had sealed the deal, and although it aroused their parents' suspicions, Edwin and Lizzie had managed to dodge all questions.

At one o'clock, all of Marti's friends had been dropped off by their parents one by one. They filed in anxiously, asking after Derek and Casey, but when they realized they weren't there, sighs and pouts of disappointments went around the small group. Amongst the complaints, Edwin and Lizzie had herded the kids all upstairs, directing them up to Edwin's room.

Lizzie and Edwin had planned it the night before in the games closet. Though he had heavily protested, Lizzie reminded him whose idea it was to have the kids over. His protests were mostly silenced after that. Edwin's room was the farthest from the first floor and they were practically guaranteed privacy. They could plan all they wanted to without being disturbed, and they would also be able to hear someone coming up the stairs, so they could act casual before anyone could catch on to what they were up to.

Marti made the general introductions on both sides, and now it seemed like they were having a staring contest. Finally, Edwin opened his mouth, ready to break the awkward silence when Carlos pointed at his figure collection on the dresser.

"Whoa… look at all his cool action figures," Carlos said in awe, scrambling up to take a closer look.

The other boys followed suit and before Edwin could blink, they each had their hands on his precious models. "Hands off!" he barked in his best authoritative voice.

The kids didn't even flinch as they launched into a battle role-play. Edwin had to duck as Jack jumped on to the bed and bounced over by the door, nearly hitting Lizzie as well.

"Hey!" Lizzie stumbled as the boys started running around the room, chasing each other. They swarmed around her and Edwin, using the older kids as human shields as they pretended to attack each other. "Marti! A little help?" When she looked up, her stepsister wasn't in the same place as before. "Marti?"

Her eyes searched the room before she found Marti and Brooke huddled in a corner, ignoring the commotion and whispering excitedly to each other. She tried calling her stepsister again, but Marti was too absorbed in her conversation to hear over the chatter of her other friends. She sighed and turned back to face Edwin, only to see that he had disappeared.

"Oh, this is going really well," she muttered under her breath.

Lizzie marched towards the door, pushing past the rowdy boys and going down the stairs, back onto the second floor landing. She sighed, shaking her head as she made a beeline for the games closet. She opened the door and as expected, found her stepbrother huddled on the floor, muttering to himself.

She closed the door securely behind her, turning on the single light bulb, and placed her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"

Edwin got up from the floor and crossed his arms defensively. "Hiding from the little devils."

"They just got here and the only thing they've done so far is play with your dolls and run around the room," she replied, wondering why Edwin was losing his composure so easily. "Rowdy, yes. Spawns of the devil? That may be an exaggeration on your part."

"They wouldn't even listen to me. I can't do this!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands. Then he paused before glaring at her. "And they're action figures!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Don't chicken out now, Edwin!"

His expression was getting more wide-eyed by the minute as his imagination went into over-drive. "They're going to destroy my room!"

"Only if you let them," she replied with a sigh. "Come on, we're thirteen now. We can handle a bunch of kids." She sounded much more confident than she felt. "We just need teamwork." She placed both hands on his shoulders and gave him a good shake. "Now, get a grip. We can definitely do this. You just can't run out when things get the tiniest bit tough."

"You're right." Edwin breathed in deeply. "No, you're definitely right." He nodded, gathering himself together and calming down. "I mean, together we're twenty-six! We can totally handle this."

Lizzie muffled a chuckle and patted his shoulder. "So, you're okay now? No more hyperventilating?"

He straightened. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good." Lizzie then roughly pushed him out of the games closet. "Now lets take back control and get this meeting in order. We have a lot of planning to do."

"Hey, hey! No pushing!" he exclaimed as he stumbled out into the hallway.

"This is why they got to you so easily – you're soft," Lizzie stated, walking past him and back up the stairs to his attic room.

"I so am not!" he shouted after her, following her up the stairs.

He walked into his room to find it perfectly intact, as it had always been, except the boys were bouncing around and on the bed, still very much into their role-play. More of Edwin's prized action figures had found their way into their hands, and the girls were still giggling to each other in a corner. Lizzie closed the door behind him as he walked into the room further, stopping by his bedside table. He cleared his throat loudly, but they all continued to mess around. Edwin was trying to think of some clever way to trick them into listening to him when Lizzie let out a piercing whistle, her fingers brought up to her lips.

All the children plus Edwin winced and placed their hands over their ears.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Nathan asked, lowering his hands once the ringing stopped. "Are you trying to make us go deaf?" He glared at Lizzie for extra effect, but she only returned his stare until he looked away first.

"You guys were all invited here for a reason, and it was not to play with Edwin's dolls," Lizzie stated, crossing her arms.

"Action figures," Edwin corrected immediately. He then went around the room and took back his possessions, amidst the groans and complaints. "And no one touches my stuff again." He placed his collection in an empty box and stuffed it in the closet, to be organized later when the children were gone.

"You're no fun," Carlos stated with a small pout.

Nick stuck out his tongue. "Party pooper."

"I can't believe it was my bright idea to get you guys together here." Edwin sighed and placed his head on his palms.

The boys were still grumbling amongst themselves when Lizzie signaled to her stepsister. Marti popped up from her corner and made her way over to Lizzie. "Yes? Is there something I can do for you?" she asked innocently.

"Can you help us get this meeting started?" Lizzie leaned down so she could whisper in Marti's ears. "They're not exactly giving us their full attention."

"Oh, sure. That's easy!" She clapped her hands twice and smiled as all eyes turned to her. "You guys ready to talk battle plans?"

Jack plopped down on the bed, legs crossed and nodded excitedly. "Sure thing, Marti!"

The other boys followed Jack's lead, though with a little less enthusiasm, but they followed all the same. Carlos and Nick joined Jack on the bed, mirroring his position, while Brooke and Nathan sat on the floor. Lizzie opted to lean back against the closed door as Marti stood at the front with Edwin pacing next to her.

Finally, he went to the bookcase next to his desk and reached behind his school textbooks to pull out a black binder hidden at the back. He rolled his computer chair over by the door and sat down, opening his research binder with pen at the ready. "All right, guys. You had little more than a day to think things over," he began.

"What'd you come up with?" Marti finished for him, looking at them expectantly.

No one said anything immediately – instead, they looked at each other, waiting for someone else to go first. Marti started tapping her foot and crossed her arms, looking as intimidating as a seven-year old could. "Well?"

Nick glanced around before raising his hand. Marti pointed at him and he started to speak as he lowered his hand. "Well, Nate and I figured that to get them together, they should be by each other's side all the time," he stated. "So we were thinking –"

"Handcuff them together," Nathan interrupted. He demonstrated by holding his hands up as if they were restrained.

Lizzie and Edwin shared a look before Edwin cleared his throat. "You want to… handcuff them," he reiterated. "And where did you get this brilliant idea?"

"From a TV show!" Nick answered brightly, seeing no flaw in the plan. "If they're handcuffed, then they'd have to stay together."

Murmurs of agreement came from the other children before Edwin spoke again. "While I agree with the idea of getting them to be by each other's side as much as possible, I don't know if handcuffs are the way to go about it." He shrugged, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "We want to be subtle about this."

Brooke lifted her baseball cap slightly to scratch her forehead in confusion. "What does subtle mean?"

"Discreet." Blank stares met Lizzie's answer and she blinked. "You have to make sure they don't know what you're doing."

"Oh." Nathan shrugged at the same time as his brother, and their disinterested looks were identical as he said, "Our whole 'keep it a secret' thing. We know that."

"Then handcuffs are definitely not the way to go. Besides, it'd probably only annoy them, not get them closer together." Edwin lifted his hand as Nick opened his mouth to speak. "In the feelings sense, I mean."

Nick shrugged, looking down at his older sibling from the bed. "Well, it seemed like a good idea, didn't it, bro?"

"Yeah, but then again, we're _guys_." Nathan leaned back against the bed, crossing his arms and frowning. "I mean, we can help with whatever plan we end up using, but coming up with one? That lovey-dovey stuff is for the girls." He made a face.

Marti immediately looked indignant at that comment, and Edwin interrupted her before she could say anything that would instigate a fight. He definitely didn't want them getting distracted again. "I suppose we're lucky you guys even spent a little time thinking about it, so we'll leave it at that. Now for the next –"

Nick's right hand shot into the air and Edwin pointed at him, a bit annoyed at being interrupted, but still both amused and perplexed by the eager look on the boy's face. "Are you _sure_ we can't use handcuffs? Because I really think it will –"

Edwin groaned and Lizzie sighed. "Unless you know of a way to get handcuffs on them without them noticing, then you can't do it. Besides, I don't think you want them to go after you on the first day," Edwin commented absent-mindedly, tapping his pen against his paper.

Nathan looked at the two older kids in suspicion. "Who said anything about them going after us?"

"Uh, well." Edwin exchanged looks with Lizzie and winced when she frowned at him. He hadn't meant to say those words exactly, but he knew if either teenager discovered the matchmaking plans, they would have to deal with their wrath. Especially if the whole cocoa smile theory ended up being just a figment of Marti's imagination. Edwin couldn't rule out the possibility, but he wouldn't voice it aloud either, knowing it would only hurt his little sister. If Derek or Casey even suspected what was going on, the Alpha Force would have a whole new set of problems to deal with. They might even have to abandon Operation: Matchmaker entirely if it meant avoiding detection and preserving themselves.

Edwin tried to choose his words carefully so he wouldn't inadvertently make the kids rethink their decision to help. "You've never seen Derek mad, have you? Or Casey, for that matter?" he asked.

"We saw Casey get mad at Derek when we threw paper balls at her that one time," Brooke piped up. "And also when we painted her."

"Well, Casey isn't as bad as Derek," Edwin replied. He shared a look with Lizzie and Marti and they simultaneously shivered as they remembered the babysitting incident. After they had 'tortured' Derek for being a lazy babysitter, he was a force to be reckoned with when he got free from Teddy's bindings. Edwin still felt like counting his lucky stars when he thought of how Derek had let them go at the end.

Lizzie spoke up from her position by the door. "The bottom line is that we have to nudge them towards each other without them actually knowing that we're doing it. 'Cause if they find out…"

"It's gonna be trouble!" Marti finished dramatically, her face serious as she looked at each of her friends.

"Okay. We get it, we get it. The captain and lieutenant finding out equals bad," Nathan commented airily, looking almost bored. "You guys are just repeating yourselves!"

"We're just making sure you understand how important it is to be sneaky about this," Edwin replied defensively, deciding he didn't quite like Nathan's attitude.

"Well, we know!"

"It's good you know then!"

"Fine!"

"Great!"

"Awesome!"

_Wha- oh, for cryin' out loud._ Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Okay then," she interrupted, clapping her hands. "As stimulating as this conversation seems, let's move on."

"That's what I've been saying!" Nathan said in frustration, still glaring.

Lizzie silenced him with a look. "I think we're agreed that we need to keep them close together as often as possible."

"That should be easy enough. I mean since they are working together for summer camp," Edwin stated, scribbling down more notes as ideas came into his head. "Willingly. That's already a huge step in their whatever-you-want-to-call-it-ship."

The kids weren't the only ones with blank faces, as Lizzie blinked, not quite sure what her stepbrother was trying to get at. "What?"

Edwin paused and looked up from his research binder to explain himself. "Well, they're certainly not in a relationship, and it's not exactly a friendship or a family-ship." He shrugged. "It's a whatever-ship right now."

"You do know the meaning of 'relationship', right?" Lizzie's eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to follow his logic. She wondered if it meant she had lived with the Venturis too long if he was actually making a weird sort of sense. "And family-ship is not a word."

"I know. I made it up." He tapped the side of his head with his pen and winked. "Just go with it." He glanced down at his binder. "Now where were we… ah, yes!" He looked up at the young audience that was staring back expectantly. "We have to try and trip them up – see how they react when close together." He gestured to all the kids. "Of course, you guys will need to report back."

Carlos, after a long period of uncharacteristic silence but characteristic fidgeting, chose that moment to speak up. "We should lock them in a closet."

_Handcuffs, locked closets… what are these kids watching?!_ Lizzie shook her head, but offered the younger boy a puzzled smile. "Why don't you explain why you think that's a good idea?"

He shrugged as if the reasoning should have been clear to them already. "Yesterday, my older sister was talking on the phone to one of her friends. She was saying how she had to play a game where she and a boy went in a closet for seven minutes," he elaborated, making nonsensical gestures with his hands. "And it had something to do with heaven…"

There was a pause of confused silence among the younger kids, and attempts not to fidget uncomfortably by Edwin and Lizzie, before Jack pouted and said, "I don't get it."

Carlos nodded in agreement. "I know, it sounded weird to me too, but she seemed really happy about it. She was giggling a lot," he replied, scrunching his nose in disgust. "And squealing. I don't get that." He looked at all the girls in the room as if they were strange specimen. "Why do girls squeal all the time?"

Brooke twisted her body slightly from her position on the floor in order to smack Carlos on the knee, the nearest part of him she could reach. He yelped and scooted back as far as he could out of her reach without falling off the bed. "We don't squeal!" she exclaimed.

Though Marti shared her friend's indignant look, she almost begrudgingly commented, "Actually, I've heard Casey squeal."

Somehow Brooke didn't look too surprised to hear that. Neither did the boys if their rolled eyes were any indication. "Well, I know _I_ don't squeal," Brooke muttered, adjusting her baseball cap firmly.

"I don't either," Marti added. She gave one of Edwin's legs a slight kick when he smothered a disbelieving snort.

"Neither do I," Lizzie replied, holding her hands up and shrugging.

Carlos eyed them skeptically but chose not to give Brooke any reason to hit him again. "Yeah well, since Casey does the weird squealing thing like my sister, then the closet should work." He looked at Lizzie and Edwin for approval. "Right?"

"Hmm… maybe…" Lizzie shrugged when Edwin raised an eyebrow at her. She leaned down so only her stepbrother would hear her whispers. "Getting them together in a confined space isn't such a bad idea. And the kids can play it off as an accident or something."

"I guess," Edwin replied thoughtfully. He jotted down more notes and Lizzie decided she would have to take another peek at his binder later when the kids returned home. "I'll try and come up with something." He nodded at Carlos. "We'll take your idea into consideration."

"Yes!" Carlos exclaimed softly, pumping a fist in the air. He shared a high-five with Jack, and smiled triumphantly at Nick and Nathan.

Both brothers gave him dirty looks and Lizzie jumped in before the siblings could speak. "All right, time for the next idea!" She gestured towards Jack – he was currently her favorite if only for the fact that he was proving to be calmer than the other boys on the Alpha Force. "The floor's yours, Jack."

The somewhat bashful brunette chanced a glance at Marti before ducking his head and tracing invisible patterns on Edwin's comforter. "My Dad gives my Mom flowers all the time," he began. "Sometimes for Valentine's, and other times, just because. She's always really happy when she gets flowers." Jack looked at Marti for approval as he continued, "We should get Casey flowers and say they're from Derek."

Marti grinned and Jack beamed in response until Lizzie commented honestly, "That's a sweet idea, Jack, but knowing Casey…" She almost regretted saying anything when the boy's face fell slightly.

Edwin finished his stepsister's thought. "She'll confront Derek, and then Derek will have no idea what she's talking about."

Marti moved forward, noticing her friend's downtrodden look, and whispered something while patting his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Jack stiffened and because he was looking down, Lizzie couldn't see the expression on his face, but she hid a smile as she noticed the tips of his ears were red.

She looked towards the other kids, and continued, "That'll open up a can of worms."

Brooke's eyebrows drew together in disgust. "Eww! Why would you want to open a can of worms?!" She shuddered from her position on the floor.

Next to her, Nathan rolled his eyes, annoyed, muttering under his breath. However, he turned around in disbelief as his brother echoed Brooke's statement in complete agreement. Nick, his eyes wide, added, "Who would put worms in a can?! Gross, gross, gross!"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Nathan shook his head at his brother and Nick stared down at him in sincere puzzlement.

"What?"

His brother sighed in exasperation. "There's not really a can of worms. Duh."

"It's an expression," Lizzie explained and continued forward, not wanting the kids to get distracted. Again. _We are seriously going around in circles._

Brooke still looked a little green at the thought of worms, but raised her hand to speak. "Can I talk about my idea now?"

"Go ahead," Edwin said with a nod.

The little girl seemed to forget all about worms as she said, "Well, my mom and I watch a whole bunch of romantic movies where the lady trips, and the guy catches her and their eyes meet…" Her words trailed off dreamily.

Edwin and Lizzie shared amused looks as Nick impatiently added, "… and?"

Brooke blinked back into reality. "And what? Get Casey in Derek's arms." She shrugged as if it were that simple. "It should all work out from there," she stated with childish naivety.

"Like an instant love connection?" Edwin joked under his breath, and Lizzie had to muffle a laugh. "But it will throw them off balance if we can actually get it to happen."

"It's not a bad idea," Lizzie commented, putting in her two-cents as she laid a hand on the back of Edwin's chair, leaning against it.

"So trip Casey so she falls into Derek's arms. Hmm. Could work if you execute it flawlessly," Edwin said thoughtfully, continuing to write notes. He looked pointedly at all the kids, aware that they were waiting and listening to him. "Remember. You have to make sure they don't realize what you're doing."

Nathan just seemed to squirm more from his spot on the floor before he blurted out, "Can't we just tell them they love each other?"

Both Edwin and Lizzie had carefully blank expressions. "Uh. _No_."

Lizzie shrugged. "If we wanted them to freak, maybe."

Nathan frowned, crossing his arms. "Why not?"

"First off, they don't love each other," Edwin answered honestly even as Marti made a sound of protest.

"Then why are we even doing this?" Nathan asked, throwing up his arms in exasperation.

"This whole experiment is to get them together because we think they like each other," Lizzie replied, her fingers drumming along the edges of Edwin's chair.

Marti didn't like the thought of Derek and Casey 'possibly' liking each other – she knew they did. They were just too stubborn to realize it. She thought of her favorite fairytales, of the happy endings with the princes and princesses. "We have to get them to kiss!" she stated boldly.

Lizzie shook her head. "Umm… that's easier said than done, Marti."

"We'd have more luck with the handcuff idea," Edwin stated wryly. He raised a hand before an eager Nick could say anything. "_No_."

His cheer cut off, Nick deflated and rested his head on one hand, sighing.

Marti pouted up at her stepsister. "Then I want to get Smerek to smile at her more."

Lizzie patted the younger girl's head. "That's really up to them, Marti," she reminded gently. "There's nothing we can really do about that. But the whole close proximity thing may work to move them in that direction." She looked from her stepsister to the other kids in the room. "You guys have to get them together as much as possible without being too obvious. Maybe make them brush against each other and such."

Edwin had been nodding along to everything she was saying and added, "That has to be the main priority then."

"So we have to… what?" Carlos asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Make them touch," Marti replied, mimicking Edwin's 'research' tone. She only smiled innocently when her brother frowned at her.

"Like hold hands and stuff?" Jack wondered aloud, scratching his head.

"Yeah, but that's gonna be a little hard," Lizzie replied thoughtfully. She started pacing what little space there was by Edwin's door. "Maybe make sure she bumps into him a lot…" She nodded in time with her thoughts. "We have to take advantage of this whole 'being together during summer camp' thing. When they're at home, they rarely hang around each other unless the situation calls for it." She glanced at Edwin and thought of Casey and Derek on the couch the day before. "Like yesterday."

Edwin nodded in agreement, but his pen was moving across the page faster than usual – it was clear he had come up with an exciting idea. Lizzie touched his shoulder, silently questioning, and he replied, "At dinner tonight, I'll sit in Casey's usual seat next to you. We could tell her I need your help on a project I want to work on for when business camp starts tomorrow. Then she has to sit in my seat between Marti –"

"– and Derek." Lizzie's eyes lit up. "She'll have to sit right next to him." The two step-siblings exchanged high-fives, Edwin raising his hand without even looking back. "Excellent."

"Right?" Edwin seemed particularly smug about his idea. He looked down at his list and back up at the curious faces peering at him. "Lizzie and I handle things from here, the home base. You guys are at the front with Marti as our go-between." He clasped his hands together and measured up each Alpha Force member. "I was able to obtain a copy of Casey's schedule for activities this week with help from Lizzie." He acknowledged his stepsister's help with a nod and tapped a pencil on his research binder. "I think I've come up with a few ways to use your ideas so they fit in with the activities and won't draw too much suspicion. Now listen up, 'cause here's how things are going to work…"

–

"So, are you up for hitting the beach this week?"

Derek didn't bother looking up from unlacing his skates as his best friend plopped down beside him on the bench. He hesitated before he answered, "I can't."

He didn't have to turn his head to know that a confused expression was plastered on Sam's face. "Why not? Didn't you just finish summer school?"

"Yeah." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But I sorta promised Marti I would help out at her summer camp for the last week," he replied, inwardly praying that Sam had forgotten Casey was volunteering.

"Wait, isn't that –"

Derek winced. _Crap, crap, crap._

"– a little too low-key a role for the great Derek Venturi to break out into the summer life before junior year?" Sam laughed, nudging his friend with his elbow.

"Oh yeah. Right." Derek chuckled as well, and Sam didn't notice or chose not to comment on the half-heartedness of it. "But I did promise Smarti," he repeated, wondering at the relief that Sam hadn't mentioned Casey.

"And a promise to your little sis is binding upon pain of death," he commented in good humor. He lifted a hand before Derek could open his mouth. "I know, I know. Don't mention your soft spot or suffer. Blah, blah – I've heard it all before." Sam placed his skates in his sports bag and tied his sneakers. "It's no big deal. We have the whole summer to kick back and relax." He stood up, shouldering his duffel. "You wanna get some pizza with the guys?"

"Yeah, sure," Derek agreed readily. "I'll be right there." He watched as Sam nodded and sauntered over to the other guys who were waiting by the park footpath.

The relief from Sam not asking about Casey was still prevalent at the forefront of his mind and he frowned. He passed it off as him not wanting the others to find out he was spending time with his stepsister more than necessary. The excuse sounded decidedly false but he shrugged it off. He told himself he didn't want Sam to know because mentioning an ex-girlfriend wasn't cool. Even if the couple had broken up months ago, Derek was sure it would just make things awkward. He firmly ignored the small voice at the back of his head, mocking him and asking questions he wasn't yet ready to answer.

–

Edwin nodded and leaned back, looking at each child as if sizing him or her up. "So you guys know what to do then?"

They each saluted, even Nathan – their excitement over the plan building as they thought of the events of the next day. "Yes, sir!"

"All right." He clapped his hands. "Time for a break, I'd say. Who's up for pizza?"

Shouts of agreement went all around and the kids scrambled out of the room, Lizzie and Edwin following at a more moderate pace.

"You think this is actually going to work?" Edwin asked, research binder in tow as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Lizzie hesitated. "I'd like to think it will."

Edwin nodded slowly as she glanced at him. "Yeah," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "Me too."

–

Casey turned around after waving goodbye to Emily and checked the bags of art supplies she had in either arm, making sure she hadn't dropped anything. _I hope I can finish this all tonight…_ As she walked across the lawn to the front door, she rummaged in her purse for her house keys.

"Bye Lieutenant!"

Casey immediately looked up, searching for the source of the voices. "Oh!" She recognized the two kids waving at her as a car pulled away from the sidewalk. "Bye Nathan, Nick!" she called back, though confused as to the reason for their appearance.

She watched until the car disappeared around the corner and entered the house, calling out greetings. She dropped her shopping bags on the stairs as Nora answered from the kitchen. Casey walked in and saw her mother and George washing and drying dishes.

She leaned against the center island with one hand, cocking her head inquisitively. "What were Nathan and Nick doing here?"

"You mean Marti's friends?" Nora glanced at her over her shoulder, scrubbing several plates. "They were all here for the afternoon, hanging out and having fun, playing dress-up – the usual."

"Really." Casey wondered why she hadn't known about it. "Which friends?"

"As you know, Nathan and Nick. Then there was… Carlos, Jack, and Brooke," Nora replied thoughtfully. She handed cleaned plates off to George, who was drying.

"All the kids from day camp then." She frowned, knowing the kids hadn't mentioned anything on Friday. "Huh." Casey remembered the pile of work she saw on the dinner table, and didn't think her mom or George had the time to babysit. "Who was watching them?"

"Lizzie and Edwin, actually," George answered, piling up the dry dishes to one side of the sink. "Your mom and I were working down here, and they were watching the kids upstairs."

"How about you, hon? Was your day okay?" Nora asked when Casey remained silent.

"Hmm?" Casey shook her head as if ridding it of her previous thoughts. "Oh, it was fine. Very productive. Em and I did the mall thing, and I shopped for some supplies I needed for summer camp this week."

Nora nodded. "That's good then."

"Do you want some pizza, Casey? There's a few slices left over," George offered, gesturing to the pizza box on the center of the kitchen island. "You might want to get it now before Derek gets home. Then all bets are off." He smiled wryly as he dried a plate Nora handed to him, the last of the bunch.

"Thanks, but no thanks." She straightened and shook her head. "I'll just wait for dinner tonight. I'll be in my room working till then."

Casey turned around after George and her mom nodded, picking up her supplies as she passed them on the stairs. The whole Alpha Force had been over at the house that afternoon and she hadn't had a clue about it. It must have been a last minute invite, though she wondered why the usually talkative Marti chose not to say anything.

_Derek's crazy suspicions must be rubbing off on me._ She looked at his closed bedroom door, imagining her stepbrother and rolled her eyes. _Marti just had a play date with her friends, nothing else._

Casey walked into her room and laid all her shopping bags on the floor. She chose not to think about anything unnecessary, more pre-occupied with organizing the treasure hunt. Still, she couldn't quite shake off the feeling she was missing something.

–

Dinnertime finally rolled around hours later, and Casey walked down the stairs to find her usual seat occupied. "Edwin?"

"Huh?" He looked up from the notes he was sharing with Lizzie. "Oh, sorry Casey, but do you mind if I steal your seat for tonight? I want to go over this project with Lizzie before business camp starts up again tomorrow."

Casey crossed her arms and regarded the pre-teens carefully. "You guys can talk across the table, can't you?" she pointed out. She didn't question why Edwin was consulting her sister; the two were loyal confidantes unless choosing sides in her and Derek's fights. She eyed the empty chair at the far left of the table, knowing its occupant would have something to say about the seat change.

"It's easier than trying to talk over other conversations," Lizzie replied smoothly, grabbing a bread roll from the dinner spread.

Casey paused before she conceded, "I guess it's all right."

"You can sit here, Casey!" Marti beamed and pointed to the seat to her left, the one that also conveniently put her oldest stepsister next to Derek.

Nora and George seemed to reach the same conclusion simultaneously. "Y'know, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Nora started, knowing there was already enough tension without the oldest teenagers sitting side by side.

"Marti, why don't you switch with Casey for tonight, honey?" George suggested.

"But Daddy, I like my spot!" Marti gave her best pout and scrunched her eyebrows together. There was no way she was going to let Casey sit anywhere else but in between her and Derek.

"It's fine, Mom, George," Casey replied, sitting down in her newly assigned seat. "I think Derek and I can handle sitting next to each other for one night. I mean, our rooms are next to each other."

"That's true, but the walls are there for a reason."

Casey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Come on, guys, it won't be the end of the world. I know you can't trust Derek, but you can trust me."

"We do trust you to behave yourself, Casey. It's just –" Nora turned her thoughts over in her head, wondering how to phrase it. "– well, Derek has the tendency to bring out your more, umm, _vocal_ side."

Casey nearly pouted like Marti before catching herself. "It's not a big deal," she reiterated. "We're not that bad."

The whole table gave her pointed looks and Casey thought Edwin even hid a snort behind his water glass.

"Hey!" She frowned.

"What are you complaining about now?"

Casey didn't turn at the sound of Derek's voice, but out of the corner of her eye, saw him slide into his seat and without further adieu, began piling his plate with food. _This isn't that big a deal._

"Wait – why are you sitting next to me?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "I just switched with Edwin for the night."

"Well, switch back," he demanded.

She finally turned her head to glare at him. "Why?"

"Sit back there." He pointed to her usual seat, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Casey noted he completely bypassed her question.

"As if I'm going to take orders from you," she muttered, reaching for a bowl of vegetables. She wasn't moving now, not if it would please Derek.

"You were happy to take my ideas yesterday," he pointed out smugly. "Why can't you accept my orders like that, too?"

"You were smart then – you're just being a jerk now!" she shot back, inwardly frustrated on how they always ended up on opposite sides. Where was the truce from yesterday?

He steadfastly ignored the voice in his head asking why he was making such a big deal about seats when he had joined Casey on the couch the day before. Well, she was reverting back to her annoying, frustrating self, he reasoned.

_And you like fighting with her._

Derek twitched at that, simultaneously snatching his right hand back when it accidentally brushed Casey's as he reached for a piece of chicken. "Get over yourself," he snapped defensively. Underneath the table where no one could see, he pressed the back of his hand on his jeans.

Casey bristled, but her mother raised an eyebrow and she bit her tongue. She had said she could behave, and she would. _But he's so frustrating!_ she thought furiously. _… and confusing._ She stabbed a boiled potato viciously.

Edwin and Lizzie's eyes widened and they turned to each other slowly, gesturing to their respective siblings across the table. Derek had an unusual bout of tension seen in the stern set of his jaw, and Casey was ignoring him and making small talk with Marti. The youngest Venturi was answering each question honestly, but her eyes lingered to where Casey's vegetables were getting stabbed and her mouth had formed a small 'o'.

Nora and George sighed at the same time, but knew it would be a wasted effort to have their eldest children switch seats now. Besides, it had been no guarantee that they would have acted civil to each other even if they had been across the table.

"At least they're not throwing food," George muttered to Nora under his breath. He shrugged when she gave him an exasperated look.

"De-rek! Get your own potatoes!"

"They're on the other side of the table. Your plate is so much closer."

Both parents took in Derek's smug smirk and Casey's irritated frown, and they wondered if their children were ever going to truly accept each other. They sighed yet again and tried unsuccessfully to diffuse the situation with the usual results of protests on both sides, and so neither of them noticed Derek flexing his right hand slightly throughout the rest of dinner.

* * *

To be continued in _Chapter 04 – Monday: Alpha Force Unite!_  
Not much to say, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay tuned to see exactly what the Alpha Force attempts to do on the first day back of summer camp. 


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